I know, it seems kind of weird that I’m posting this homemade Nacho Cheese Sauce recipe the day after the super bowl. But, the reason I made this nacho cheese sauce has nothing to do with the super bowl and everything to do with the fact that I have just had a crappy week. :) After a series of unfortunate events and two recipe flops, I had an, “Ugh, I give up. Just give me some chips and nacho cheese.” moment.
Don’t judge. Nacho cheese dip is powerful stuff.
NO Processed Cheese, Please
Rather than going totally off the deep end and buying a gelatinous block of Velveeta, I decided to try to make the nacho cheese sauce myself, with real, simple ingredients. To my surprise (and probably to my detriment), this homemade nacho cheese recipe made with real cheddar cheese is extremely fast and easy to make.
Spice it Up!
The nacho cheese recipe below is the very basic version of nacho cheese, which you can customize or embellish in many different ways. Try substituting half of the cheddar with pepper jack, or stirring in a 4oz. can of diced green chiles. Experiment with the seasonings by adding a pinch of garlic powder, cumin, or even cayenne pepper. Stir in a few sliced green onions, or a can of Rotel tomatoes (drained). You can really have fun with this one.
Tips for Cheese Sauce Success
Here are a few tips to help make sure your homemade nacho cheese recipe is a success:
- Make sure to cook the flour in the butter for one minute. This helps cook out the “floury” flavor.
- Use medium cheddar for smoother results. Sharp cheddar tends to “break” or become grainy easier than medium cheddar.
- Remove the pot from the heat before stirring in the cheese. Overheating the sauce once the cheese has been added can cause the sauce to seize up and become thick and/or grainy. If needed, use only low heat to help the cheese fully melt.
- Use block cheese and hand shred it when possible. Pre-shredded cheeses sometimes contain a lot of anti-caking powders, which can cause a powdery flavor in your cheese sauce.
New to cheese sauce? Try making our no-roux Easy Cheese Sauce that melts together smoothly in minutes and is absolutely fool-proof!
5 Minute Nacho Cheese Sauce
Servings 6 (1/4 cup each)Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp butter ($0.22)
- 2 Tbsp flour ($0.02)
- 1 cup whole milk ($0.30)
- 6 oz. medium cheddar, shredded (about 1.5 cups) ($2.25)
- 1/4 tsp salt ($0.02)
- 1/4 tsp chili powder ($0.02)
Instructions
- Add the butter and flour to a small sauce pot. Heat and whisk the butter and flour together until they become bubbly and foamy. Continue to cook and whisk the bubbly mixture for about 60 seconds.
- Whisk the milk into the flour and butter mixture. Turn the heat up slightly and allow the milk to come to a simmer while whisking. When it reaches a simmer, the mixture will thicken. Once it’s thick enough to coat a spoon, turn off the heat.
- Stir in the shredded cheddar, one handful at a time, until melted into the sauce. If needed, place the pot over a low flame to help the cheese melt. Do not overheat the cheese sauce.
- Once all the cheese is melted into the sauce, stir in the salt and chili powder. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed. If the sauce becomes too thick, simply whisk in an additional splash of milk.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Nutrition
Video
How to Make Nacho Cheese – Step by Step Photos
Start by placing 2 Tbsp butter and 2 Tbsp flour in a small saucepot.
Heat the flour and butter over medium flame and whisk together until they become bubbly and foamy. Continue whisking for about 60 seconds. This mixture is called a “roux” and is what will thicken your sauce. Letting the roux cook for about 60 seconds slightly toasts the flour and gets rid of that raw floury flavor, but you want it to stay “blonde”, so if it begins to brown, remove it from the heat.
Whisk in one cup of whole milk. Turn the heat up slightly and let it come to a simmer (whisking frequently). Because the small volume, it should come to a simmer very quickly (about a minute).
When it reaches a simmer, the milk will thicken. When it’s thick enough to coat a spoon like in the photo, turn off the heat.
Whisk in 6oz. (or about 1.5 cups) shredded medium cheddar, one hand full at a time, until it is melted into the sauce. If needed, put the pot back over a low flame to help it melt, but the residual heat should do most of the work.
Finally, season the nacho cheese sauce with 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp chili powder.
Taste the nacho cheese sauce and adjust the seasonings if needed. And that’s it! Now you have a real ingredient, really delicious, homemade nacho cheese dip.
This post either just ruined your life or made your day. Or maybe both.
I used lactaid and a lactose free Vermont cheddar, and it came out fantastic! I mixed it with pasta and baked it for some excellent mac and cheese
honestly, I am bad at cooking and I really messed this up because mine didn’t have any nacho flavor at all and just tasted off. it looked right but had no flavor. I added hot sauce to make it spicy, then a bit more of chili powder which made it better. next time I’m adding in salsa. maybe I did something wrong but it turned out ok.
Yesterday I bought some tortilla chips and was wondering what dip to go with it… then googled and found this super recipe with all ingredients in hand…. made my day! Thanks!
how long it can be preserved in refrigerator and does the texture remains the same?
I kept mine in the refrigerator for a few days and reheated it in the microwave (short intervals, stirring between) and it reheated to a smooth consistency.
Yeah your equal parts flower butter mixture makes dough lol just saying need more butter then flower…. typo maybe?
Nope, not a typo. I’ve made this recipe countless times. As the butter melts it should become liquid and simmer with the flour. You can see it in action in the video in the middle of the blog post.
I’m pregnant and want nachos 🤗🤗🤗 Thank you!
It was turning out a bit thick, and though you said to add a splash of milk if it gets thick, I decided to add a bit of my favorite salsa to thin it out, it turned out amazing! I would recommend adding salsa when it starts to get too thick, this is so good!
Great idea!!
It’s too salty 😭. What can I do?
Lovely recipe, thank you!
Could add an 1/8th tsp, ground cinnamon.
I buy medium cheddar when on sale for $2.00 a pound. Estimate the cup and half at: $.75
Thus making this cheese dip about $1.35 total
Made my day. Leftover ground meat from Wednesday’s lasagna, nachos i hid from the kids and this…beats the $$$ I was going to spend on pizza. Thank YOU!! 👍👍
How much ground beef did you use?
5 minutes ago i was sitting thinking about going to the Gym……….now i’m sitting eating Nachos with an AMANZING cheese sauce! Thanks for the super easy recipe!!! :)
My work here is done. 😂
I made it today for our super bowl party. Seemed to be a hit. We put tortilla chips in a dish and added taco meet, salsa and the nacho sauce. Made for a great appetizer. Thanks for the recipe!
How much ground beef did you use?
What could I use if I don’t have milk?
My mom replaced the chili powder with curry powder. Still gud ma bro
Delicious and easy. I added some cumin powder. I’ve seen this with a bay leaf as well Thanks for sharing.